February 08, 2008

# Charlotte's name: Charlotte Staples Lewis, is a reference to Clive Staples Lewis, a.k.a., C.S. Lewis the author of The Chronicles of Narnia.

# Entertainment Weekly scribe Jeff Jensen has an interesting theory about Charlotte: I am utterly convinced Charlotte Staples Lewis has been to the Island before. Maybe it was her giggly delight as she splashed about in the Island's inland waters...there was something more to her reaction — something that reminded me of another fantastical tale about an enchanted homecoming. The book is Prince Caspian, by C.S. Lewis, the sequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The story starts with a chapter called ''The Island,'' in which the Pevensie kids return to Narnia via a mysterious island marked by ancient ruins and odd creatures. First thing they do: play in the water.

February 07, 2008

I have good news. I have lots of good news. In fact, I have way too much good news.

The strike is almost over. A resolution is days away. Weeks. Friday. Valentine's day. Two weeks exactly from whenever my manager/agent/lawyer told me. Yes, after talking to writers and actors all over town, I'm happy to report that the strike is going to end every single day until March. Huzzah! All of this entirely reliable information means that at last the dream of the writing community has been realized: the Oscars will be saved.

Let's step back.

The Oscars seem to be the point of focus for a lot of this speculation. That either they must be preserved, or that the studios feel they must be preserved, and therefore this terrible struggle will end. There is an argument to be made for wanting the show to go on: it showcases the artists with whom we are bonded (there's no award for Best Hiding of Net Profits), and it provides employment and revenue for thousands in the community that has been hit so hard by this action. Having said that, it's a f%$#ing awards show. It's a vanity fair. It's a blip. We're fighting (fighting, remember?) for the future of our union, our profession, our art. If that fight carries us through the Holy Night when Oscar was born, that's just too bad.

And the studios? Well, the Oscars provide advertising revenue and a boost for the films that win. But the studios have shown impressive resolve in ignoring short-term losses in order to destroy us. I don't hear any knees knocking in the Ivory Towers over that night of programming. Hey, I wish I did. I wish, like a lot of people, I could hear anything from in there besides that weird clicking sound Predator makes.

January 29, 2008

Sam Raimi will executive produce a new syndicated, live-action weekly series targeted for a fall launch in conjunction with Disney-ABC Domestic Television and ABC Studios, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series, titled Wizard's First Rule, is based on Terry Goodkind's fantasy book series The Sword of Truth.

The hour-long series follows the extraordinary transformation of woodsman Richard Cypher into a magical leader who joins with a mysterious woman to stop a bloodthirsty tyrant.

The series will also be produced by Robert Tapert (The Grudge), Joshua Donen (The Quick and the Dead) and Ned Nalle (Xena: Warrior Princess). Disney-ABC Domestic TV is distributing, and ABC Studios is producing.